New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-04
AN INFAMOUS BOOK.
THE CLIMAX OF NATTRALiSM

In pushing his doctrine of naturallSm 10 rs ulti-
| mate CONCLUSION VI. ZOia has produced the most
boninahle book the presses of Europe have issue
since the invention Of printing. If IT be thought
that this is too sweeping Il judgment We answer
that we intend to iurify It fully IL the rpnrse of
this criticism There have been. doubt, several
books published which rival or ne hapS even sur
pass La Tcrre" IN particular kind of hlihine'S.
but the litter Is UNANIMOUSLY eminent III the cN-
p'oitation Of every imaginable foulnesS. That n
should have shocked lnd reyoted even the hardy
spirits that have hitherto delighted to
call themselves the disciples of VI.
Zola Is not s1rlrsiuc for it con
tains that which might vii cll>c th' gorge of 4
sltyr torisc II Of course profrSs", 20 be fai'h-
tu por nature of The facts of existence; study Of
the French peasant "a he really j. There has
already been energetic protest against the verI-
s,mihtude of NJ Z,ln', pictures from his own
countrymcn. They nave declared Indignantly that
ne has not pam ed the Fr nrh peasant as &c H. hni
th?t he has made hidc'uS carrie iturc AMI audi
ciou>lv labclc II. II Is not. however, 'cr',ary
f. be a Frenclmln TO perceive that Ia Icrrc J.,
no less a slandcr than an niamy.
The French peasant undpubt"dly occu'i"s % s.
place IN the scale # civi,lzotion and M has tn
defects and the vices 90 his barbarISn. We have
right TO employ that word. y. MIchcct ha, SAID
of the French that they are "a nation of bIr-
donbt the civilizinG power of tn conscrip'n wllI
remain in the conviction that tn blrbarsm has
rot vet been outgrpwn. The passion for Land is
undoubtedly the dominant motive anDuE tn
French agrcl turil Glasses and this passion - the
parent o: many pntty wees AMI mcdnncsNc'. 1t
induce, thrift blt thrift of thr hardest. most sonl
destroying KIND II ulrr1Ns the minis Of tlps"
under ~ ia lnil icncn II many wIvs. Bit y cI'r,
them human, and il does no; prevent tnongh II re-
tards the growth Of higher feeling, and aims.
Balzac stuc led the French peasant, ri his a.
count OF the GEM. az certainly i'm and candid.
The figures he shows are for the most part c,lr'e.
hard and unlovcly. but they have con,cience' aud
hearts Theycl1 nate crc y bat tLcy can also love
up>cihsIlv. We recognize common hunInify -
then in snort. Bat /1las pca,rn.s ar monsters
void of any Tedcclning charac crI-tlc. rs untrue
to the race to the group and the
individual. We 90 not rcqgue to b. told
that 10 village IN Bcauce or elsewhere IN Franc
ever produced such wrciche, a. NJ rc'nisVe
through these pages; we know that no creatures -
uonotonously vie have ever lived there or in ANY
other country. AMI beclusc this IL 50 W. h"ltn
our Indictment of VI. Z,l ~ inp'tchlnG his art
theory by denying IA, ole a,,unp,ioI dpnn which
h. depends for jus tllicalon.
Not that the es ablI,hm N; Of tllt assImp'i on.
were 1t possible wou,d n our opinion better hi.
position. There are thing, thr making pubIc 81
nich no demonstration Of their verify can excuse.
and thIs is one o. thps' thilgs 81 the a's1np-
ton Is false. VI IIa has not painted the French
peasant What he advances ~ the last
expression Of the naturIl,; doctrine Is
a Disgusting trdyc,t' Of the actual
He has drawn. not the peasant as he lives bat his
most sa'Ient wees. Ali his m,'hpl winch /,
transparent enough, Is lnartIstc. He proceeds IN
this way any rel Ter can perceive. Inc French
peasant is given to filthy iangnIge; therefore
NJ lola makes him ak nothing else. Hell coarse
and gros, IN his habits; therefore VI. Zjla makes
him DO nothing which Is not coar-e and gross He
absorbed in the passion Of iandowning; therefore
! NJ lola makes hun commit every crime III the cal
endar al the prompting Of his rapacty lie Is apt
| TO be immoral in animal way: Therefore VI. lola
makes him salacOus beast. Conceive. II possible.
"A community every member of which ~ as complete
an incarnation Of evil as the Mr. Hyde of steven
sons story and you have VI. Zolas picture of 4
| French village of some Six hundred souls That
we may not be suspected Of cxaggeratIon we
Will state the crimes which are represented as
being committed and every one unpun-
ished) by tins diaboical commune
| The list includes theft, arson, adultery.
rape. incest murder matricdc. parricde and so
roricde. Add TO this general Inhdelity. worse
than british scfshncss and inhumanity. an atmo
sphere of icwd and rIbald talk seasoned with per
pctual caumny. backbting and malice ard the
general tone OF the work may he apprehcndod quite
as closely as Is either neediul or edliyng.
The string upon which all tins is hung Is lola
esque adaptation of the TRAGEDY Of Lear. II was q
daring experiment 10 follow i'll the footsteps of
Shakespeare and Bdlzac; To challenge comparison
with the ma estic prototype and with Pere GOrot
at once but NJ. Zoa has 80 ordered his undertake
ing that no comparison of the kind will ever be
attempted For his peasant Lear - a tragedy of
quito another type 1t is sordd. uDuttcr-
ably base and mean and dirty and gross
from beginning TO end The father who d vdes his
land among his children only 10 be rcpudiatcd,
cheated, plundcred. abused, and finally murdered
by them is himself despcable creature as
scarcely to command sympathy. As to the life
lived BIZ these people, II Is literally Understandable.
The worst moral effects of the modern tenement
house existence are represented as the normal
habits and practices of these thrifty pea ants. As
shameless the beasts Of the field. "a indifferent
to decency troop of apes III tropical forest. as
full Of obscene ideas and words au crotO maniac,
uucean III body mind, having no thought but
for the ifaclOn Of their lust or their greed not
SO much knowing what love Is, destitute OF com
passion for one another void OF patriotism. full of
mean envy and ha red for the boUgeoisie guided In
their publc acts by low GINNING so narrow III
deductions as mislead them oftenor than not: no
more dctestablc and loathsome creatures have
ever been offered TO the world az examples and
types
| M lola has comm tilted IL crime against his coun-
try In Incorporating the majority of the French
| people lie is guilty Of as heinous an offence
against literature and public morals. For this vile
| book-wbich IL it had its deserts, would every
where be burned publicly by the common hangman
| is being multiplied by Of thousands and